Indian MBA vs foreign MBA
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Indian MBA vs foreign MBA
Post by MBACrystalBall » September 8th, 2014, 11:40 pm
Of course, there’s a tremendous amount of information on the internet – on business school websites, discussion forums and blogs. But if you really analyse it, you’ll realise that the real, factual content gets bulldozed under the marketing material and speculative discussions.
The disconnect is bigger for Indian applicants compared to their international counterparts. Indian applicants have to deal with two different creatures that are referred to by the same 3-letter acronym, but look, sound and behave quite differently.
Most of us are familiar with the typical Indian MBA program and how it works, as this is what we’ve grown up reading and hearing about. So it’s only natural to assume that an international degree with the same name would be very similar.
Here’s a quick comparison of full-time MBA degrees offered by International and Indian bschools.
Typical candidate profile
The traditional Indian MBA programs attract 22 year old candidates who’ve spent very little time in the corporate world. In contrast, the average age in international programs is around 26 years (much higher for European programs) and most candidates have around 4-5 years of work experience (part of it in managerial and leadership roles).
Entrance Exam
Apart from the CAT, Indian applicants have a mind-boggling choice of entrance exams to choose from. For most of the top international universities, it boils down to just one – the GMAT. Of late, some top bschools have started accepting GRE scores as well.
How applicants shortlist bschools
In India, there’s a clear pecking order with the IIMs being the top choice for most applicants. Nobody will ask if you and the IIMs you are applying to are ‘made for each other’. International Bschools, on the other hand, place a LOT of importance on ‘Fit’ to ensure there’s mutual compatibility between the applicant and the bschool. Sounds strange? This is often a confusing aspect for many Indian applicants.
Admission process
For both, Indian and foreign MBA programs, the admission process can include standardised test scores, interviews, essays (or statement of purpose), recommendations and a CV. However the weights assigned to each of the individual components differ considerably. The entrance exam (e.g. CAT) scores form a very important parameter for Indian institutes.
For the top bschools the CAT percentile cut-offs are ridiculously high. This is primarily a reflection of the level of competition for these schools. For international schools, the GMAT score is important, but there are no cut-offs. This makes the overall candidate shortlisting process comparatively opaque, as a high GMAT score may not guarantee you an interview invite and vice versa.
Program duration
The conventional Indian MBA program is for 2 years. International schools offer programs with durations ranging from under a year to 2 years.
Cost of the program
As a rough estimate, a good Indian program can cost between Rs 5 - 20 lakhs (including tuition, cost of living etc). International programs can cost between Rs 40-75 lakhs for American programs and over Rs 30 lakhs for European MBA degrees.
On the brighter side, many international schools offer scholarships, loans and part-time work opportunities to lessen the financial burden. More on this later on in this ebook.
Class composition (Diversity)
While both kinds of programs try to increase the diversity in the class – in terms of backgrounds, qualifications and work-experience – the applicant pool for Indian bschools is quite different from the international bschools.
For starters, in an Indian program, you’ll be studying with - [dramatic pause] - Indians. But apart from the nationality, international programs also offer much more diversity in the class, and outside (if the bschool is part of a bigger university).
The learning process
Both formats use a mix of pedagogies to facilitate the learning. But in addition to the traditional approach to knowledge transfer (professor to student), there’s a greater emphasis on knowledge sharing (peer group learning).
International programs allow students to tap into the rich real world experience and the diverse backgrounds within the class. This allows the learning process to have multiple dimensions.
Post-MBA careers
In India we are used to the concept of campus placements. Many Indian applicants who turn their attention towards foreign options often want to know which bschool offers a job guarantee. There is no job guarantee!
In international bschools, you’d have a Careers Team. But considering the diverse backgrounds that people come in with and the wider range of career options they start exploring (beyond the regular management consulting and investment banking jobs), it’s tough for the Careers Team to be able to ‘place’ them. So job hunting is pretty much an independent, self-driven process.
For those who don’t come in with the right expectations, it can be quite a challenge navigating through the MBA maze. With the right knowledge, planning and effort, not to mention, just the right sprinkling of luck), MBA graduates can (and often do) get jobs with lucrative compensation packages and career paths that are the envy of their non-MBA peers.
Hope this comparison provides you with a good idea of how the international MBA programs differ from Indian MBA options. Do spend some time carrying out further research in each of these areas.
Once you’ve got a deeper understanding about the differences, the next step in the process would be to evaluate if an international MBA is what your career really needs.
Reach out to us if you are confused and need some personal career counselling.
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Re: Indian MBA vs foreign MBA
Post by mtulsian » March 4th, 2015, 12:33 pm
I need some real guidance from you/your team.
I am a businessman with more than ten years of entrepreneurial experience.
However, of late, and due to business circumstances, i wish fold up my
business and pursue an MBA either from India or abroad. Since i am 35 years
of age and have a relatively high business experience, i wish to do one
year MBA rather than a two year full time program with fresh 23-25 year old
college graduates.
I wish to pursue MBA, and not a part time MBA. I have read about PGPX IIMA
and similar such full time one year programs from other IIMs in India.
However, if i were to look for similar full time residential MBA programs
abroad, I was unable to find any similar programs.
I dont want to do those weekend MBA Programs, but full time MBAs of one
year with experienced batch mates and not fresh graduates.
Please advise.
Thanks,
Manish
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Re: Indian MBA vs foreign MBA
Post by MBACrystalBall » March 4th, 2015, 1:35 pm
Hi Manish,mtulsian wrote:I dont want to do those weekend MBA Programs, but full time MBAs of one
year with experienced batch mates and not fresh graduates.
You could look at 1 year MBA programs in India from IIM (IIMA PGPX, IIMB EPGP, IIMC PGPex, IIML IPMX) or one year MBA abroad (IMD, Oxford, Cambridge).
The average experience and age in these programs is higher.
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Re: Indian MBA vs foreign MBA
Post by MissionMBA2015 » April 25th, 2015, 1:47 am
I am looking for some suggestion related to the choice of business school in which I got my admission. Your valuable suggestion would help me a lot for my future endeavors.
I got admission to the following three schools
- XLRI General management Program
- Schulich India MBA program
- Case Western Weatherhead school of Management
I am having 9.5 yrs of exp in Software industry with 2.5 yrs US work ex in Infy, TCS, CTS and have been working as a project manager for past 2 years.
I wan to move into the business development, technology marketing or technology consulting role post MBA.
I am pretty confused in between Schulich and XLRI. I am not sure about the Canadian job market. With my pre-MBA experience and the knowledge that I would acquire how easily I can position me in the Canadian job market towards my target roles?
XLRI GMP has its own advantage if I consider the cost. How much worth would it be to invest the amount for Schulich India program if I consider the career progression after graduation? How the Schulich MBA is regarded by corporates in Canada and in India to offer strategic roles? Where would XLRI GMP stand compared to ISB, IIM A, B, C?
I had a score of 650. Should I opt out from all the above options I have and give it another try to pull it over 700 and apply next year? This year I took GMAT pretty late and did not even get chance to any Indian b-schools I mentioned above and any better ranked colleges in US.
Regards,
Pallab
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Re: Indian MBA vs foreign MBA
Post by MBACrystalBall » April 27th, 2015, 3:47 pm
MissionMBA2015 wrote:I am pretty confused in between Schulich and XLRI.
Why have you dropped Case Western from the choice? Senior jobs in the technology industry for someone with your profile would be more in USA than in Canada.
The easiest part of the job hunting process in Canada is getting the work permit. But it'll still be tough to find a good job that's appropriate for someone with 10+ years of experience.MissionMBA2015 wrote:I am not sure about the Canadian job market. With my pre-MBA experience and the knowledge that I would acquire how easily I can position me in the Canadian job market towards my target roles?
Being a Canadian brand, it's known more in Canada than in other countries.MissionMBA2015 wrote:How the Schulich MBA is regarded by corporates in Canada and in India to offer strategic roles?
I'd place it below all 4.MissionMBA2015 wrote:Where would XLRI GMP stand compared to ISB, IIM A, B, C?
I'd rather pick among the options in hand than delay it all by another year.MissionMBA2015 wrote:Should I opt out from all the above options I have and give it another try to pull it over 700 and apply next year?
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Re: Indian MBA vs foreign MBA
Post by MissionMBA2015 » May 11th, 2015, 12:58 am
Please let me know the rationale behind suggesting to go ahead with the current options when I have not tried for IIM A, B, C , and ISB.
Regards,
Pallab
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Re: Indian MBA vs foreign MBA
Post by MBACrystalBall » May 12th, 2015, 7:07 pm
Primarily because you have 10 yrs experience already (double the class average for ISB) and waiting for a year more for the IIM brand just adds to the uncertainty.MissionMBA2015 wrote:Please let me know the rationale behind suggesting to go ahead with the current options when I have not tried for IIM A, B, C , and ISB.
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Re: Indian MBA vs foreign MBA
Post by chet » May 19th, 2015, 8:24 am
I was searching for MBA advise and came through your blog and then gone through your other blog and forum also. I’m very much impressed with precise and specific information.
I am graduate mechanical engineer with 10 years of experience, most in engineering and last two years more towards project management in Oil and Gas Industry.
As a side business I was successfully running engineering consultancy, which i handed over to my friend to take high earning job at abroad.
I have 4 years of International experience in Fortune 50 Company. i had already worked in two countries.
Would like to know Can I go for MBA ? or is it late for me. My GMAT score 730.
My target college is Insead and IMD.
Waiting for your valuable suggestion.
Thanks.
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Re: Indian MBA vs foreign MBA
Post by MBACrystalBall » November 26th, 2015, 3:39 pm
Apart from these programs you could consider Cambridge and Oxford too.chet wrote:Can I go for MBA ? My target college is Insead and IMD.
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